Semiconductor packages and associated methods with antennas and EMI isolation shields

ABSTRACT

Semiconductor devices with antennas and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and associated systems and methods, are described herein. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor die coupled to a package substrate. An antenna structure is disposed over and/or adjacent the semiconductor die. An electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield is disposed between the semiconductor die and the antenna structure to shield at least the semiconductor die from electromagnetic radiation generated by the antenna structure and/or to shield the antenna structure from interference generated by the semiconductor die. A first dielectric material and/or a thermal interface material can be positioned between the semiconductor die and the EMI shield, and a second dielectric material can be positioned between the EMI shield and the antenna structure. In some embodiments, the semiconductor device includes a package molding over at least a portion of the antenna, the EMI shield, and/or the second dielectric material.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to semiconductor devices. Inparticular, the present technology relates to semiconductor devicesincluding semiconductor packages with antennas and electromagneticinterference (EMI) shielding, and associated systems and methods.

BACKGROUND

Semiconductor devices generally have a die (i.e., a chip) that includesintegrated circuitry with a high density of very small components. Afterdies are formed, they are “packaged” and are often incorporated into avariety of systems, including various communications systems. Ascommunication transfer speeds of these systems increase (e.g., as fifthgeneration (5G) or later wireless technology communication speeds areimplemented), the small components, dies, and/or integrated circuitry ofthe semiconductor devices become susceptible to electromagneticinterference (EMI).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed on illustratingclearly the principles of the present disclosure. The drawings shouldnot be taken to limit the disclosure to the specific embodimentsdepicted, but are for explanation and understanding only.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device configured inaccordance with various embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of another semiconductor deviceconfigured in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology.

FIGS. 3A-3C are cross-sectional views illustrating a semiconductordevice at various stages of manufacturing in accordance with variousembodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a system that includes a semiconductordevice configured in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Specific details of several embodiments of semiconductor devicesincluding semiconductor packages with antennas and electromagneticinterference (EMI) shielding, and associated systems and methods, aredescribed below. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes asemiconductor die coupled to a package substrate. An antenna structureis over and/or adjacent the semiconductor die. An electromagneticinterference (EMI) shield is between the semiconductor die and theantenna structure to shield at least the semiconductor die fromelectromagnetic radiation generated by the antenna structure and/or toshield at least the antenna structure from interface generated by thesemiconductor die. A first dielectric material and/or a thermalinterface material can be between the semiconductor die and the EMIshield, and a second dielectric material can be between the EMI shieldand the antenna structure. In some embodiments, the semiconductor deviceincludes a package molding over at least a portion of the antenna, theEMI shield, and/or the second dielectric material.

Specific details of several embodiments of the present technology aredescribed herein with reference to FIGS. 1-4. Although many of theembodiments are described with respect to semiconductor devices,systems, and methods with antenna and EMI shielding, other applicationsand other embodiments in addition to those described herein are withinthe scope of the present technology. Further, embodiments of the presenttechnology can have different configurations, components, and/orprocedures than those shown or described herein. Moreover, a person ofordinary skill in the art will understand that embodiments of thepresent technology can have configurations, components, and/orprocedures in addition to those shown or described herein and that theseand other embodiments can be without several of the configurations,components, and/or procedures shown or described herein withoutdeviating from the present technology.

As used herein, the terms “vertical,” “lateral,” “upper,” “lower,”“top,” and “bottom” can refer to relative directions or positions offeatures in the semiconductor devices in view of the orientation shownin the figures. For example, “bottom” can refer to a feature positionedcloser to the bottom of a page than another feature. These terms,however, should be construed broadly to include semiconductor deviceshaving other orientations, such as inverted or inclined orientationswhere top/bottom, over/under, above/below, up/down and left/right can beinterchanged depending on the orientation.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device 100 (“device100”) configured in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology. As shown, the device 100 includes a package substrate 101, asemiconductor die 102 electrically coupled to the package substrate 101(e.g., via conductive features 104 and corresponding contacts (notshown)), and a first dielectric material 105 over at least a portion ofthe package substrate 101 and the semiconductor die 102. The firstdielectric material 105 can also underfill under the semiconductor die102. The package substrate 101 includes a first surface 101 a and asecond surface 101 b opposite the first surface 101 a. The packagesubstrate 101 also includes one or more conductive lines extendingthrough the substrate 101 to electrically couple various components ofthe device 100 (e.g., to one another and/or to other components externalto the device 100). For example, the package substrate 101 includes anembedded ground plane 103, at least a portion of which is exposed and/oraccessible (e.g., via the first surface 101 a of the package substrate101). The ground plane 103 serves as a return path for current fromvarious components in the device 100 and ensures that the groundconnections of all components of the device 100 are at the samereference potential.

The device 100 further includes an electromagnetic interference (EMI)shield or lid 106, a second dielectric material 108, and an antennastructure 109. As shown in FIG. 1, the EMI shield 106 (i) is over atleast a portion of the first dielectric material 105, the semiconductordie 102, and/or the package substrate 101, and (ii) is electricallycoupled to the ground plane 103 through the first surface 101 a of thepackage substrate 101 via a conductive lid attach adhesive or epoxy 107.In some embodiments, the EMI shield 106 includes a ferrous material,such as iron, nickel-iron, cobalt-iron, stainless steel, and/or one ormore other iron alloys. In these and other embodiments, the EMI shield106 includes copper and/or a copper alloy (e.g., of a copper film or acopper foil). In these and still other embodiments, the EMI shield 106includes one or more other materials, such as one or more otherthermally conductive materials. In some embodiments, the EMI shield 106has a thickness in the range of 1 μm to 30 μm. In these and otherembodiments, the EMI shield 106 has a thickness in the range of 5 μm to15 μm (e.g., 10μ,) for thin coatings.

The first dielectric material 105 separates and electrically insulatesthe semiconductor die 102 from the EMI shield 106, and the seconddielectric material 108 separates and electrically insulates the EMIshield 106 from the antenna structure 109. In some embodiments, one orboth of the first dielectric material 105 and/or the second dielectricmaterial 108 can be a non-conductive film. In these and otherembodiments, the first and second dielectric materials 105 and 108 canbe formed of the same or different materials.

The antenna structure 109 is configured for wireless communication. Asdiscussed above, when communication speeds of the device 100 increase(e.g., to approximately 4 Gb/s or greater), the antenna structure 109generates electromagnetic radiation that absent the EMI shield 106 caninterfere with and/or be captured as electrical noise by variouscomponents of the device 100 proximal the antenna structure 109, such asintegrated circuitry and/or conductive lines or contacts of thesemiconductor die 102. Similarly, the semiconductor die 102 can generatecrosstalk or other interference that can reach and/or interfere with theantenna structure 109. By (i) surrounding the semiconductor die 102 withthe EMI shield 106 and (ii) electrically coupling the EMI shield 106 tothe ground plane 103 embedded in the package substrate 101, the EMIshield 106 prevents interference (e.g., electromagnetic radiation)generated by the antenna structure 109, the semiconductor die 102,and/or other electrical components of the device 100 from reachingand/or interfering with electrical components of the device 100positioned on an opposite side of the EMI shield 106. In this manner,the device 100 can employ greater communication speeds withoutinterference than conventional semiconductor devices.

In some embodiments, a package molding material 112, such as an epoxymolding compound, can be formed over at least a portion of the antennastructure 109, the second dielectric material 108, the EMI shield 106,and/or the package substrate 101. In these and other embodiments,various components of the semiconductor device 100 and/or of thesemiconductor die 102 can be electrically coupled to components,devices, or systems external to the device 100. For example, the antennastructure 109 can be electrically coupled to an external component(e.g., an application processor) via an isolated antenna connect 110(e.g., a solder ball) formed on the second surface 101 b of the packagesubstrate 101. In these and other embodiments, the device 100 caninclude one or more other connects or solder balls 111 formed on thesecond surface 101 b of the package substrate 101 to facilitate otherelectrical connections to components, devices, and/or systems externalto the device 100. For example, the solder balls 111 can facilitateelectrical connections with another semiconductor device or package,such as another device 100 or a semiconductor device 200 (FIG. 2)configured in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology or a package containing an application processor.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device 200configured in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology. The device 200 is similar to the device 100 illustrated inFIG. 1. Thus, identical reference numbers identify identical, or atleast generally similar, elements. As shown in FIG. 2, however, thedevice 200 includes a thermal interface material 215 (“TIM 215”) over(e.g., directly over) at least a portion of the semiconductor die 102.In some embodiments, the device 200 includes the TIM 215 in lieu of atleast a portion of the first dielectric material 105 that is included inthe device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. In these and other embodiments,the TIM 215 can include a ferrous material (e.g., iron, nickel-iron,cobalt-iron, stainless steel, and/or one or more other iron alloys),copper, copper alloy, cobalt, and/or one or more other thermallyconductive materials.

The TIM 215 dissipates heat from the semiconductor die 102. In thisregard, the EMI shield 106 can be formed or disposed over (e.g.,directly over and in contact with) the TIM 215 to transfer heat awayfrom the semiconductor die 102 and out of the device 200. In someembodiments, the device 200 includes a thicker EMI shield 106 and/or athinner layer of the second dielectric material 108 than included in thedevice 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 to increase heat transfer from thesemiconductor die 102. For example, the EMI shield 106 illustrated inFIG. 2 can have a thickness in the range of 30 μm to 2 mm (e.g., 50μ to1 mm, or 500 m). In other embodiments, the EMI shield 106 illustrated inFIG. 2 can have a same or similar thickness as the EMI shield 106illustrated in FIG. 1 (e.g., 1 μm to 30 μm).

Although the device 100 and the device 200 are illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2, respectively, as including a single semiconductor die 102,devices configured in accordance with other embodiments of the presenttechnology can include a greater number of semiconductor dies 102 (e.g.,two or more semiconductor dies 102). For example, devices 100 and/or 200configured in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology can include two or more semiconductor dies 102 arrangedside-by-side on the first surface 101 a of the package substrate 101. Inthese and other embodiments, devices 100 and/or 200 configured inaccordance with various embodiments of the present technology caninclude one or more stacks of semiconductor dies 102. For example, adevice 100 and/or a device 200 can include two or more semiconductordies 102 stacked in a back-to-face, face-to-back, back-to-back, and/orface-to-face orientation on the package substrate 101 (e.g., to formhigh bandwidth memory, hybrid memory cube memory, or another die stackmemory structure). In these and still other embodiments, a device 100and/or a device 200 can include one or more semiconductor dies 102stacked on a logic die (not shown).

In some embodiments, the antenna structure 109 can be comprised in asecond semiconductor die stacked on and/or over the EMI shield 106. Inother embodiments, the device 100 and/or the device 200 can include asecond semiconductor die 102 in addition to or in lieu of the antennastructure 109 and/or the second dielectric material 108. In someembodiments, the second semiconductor die 102 can be a controller and/orthe second semiconductor die 102 can generate a greater amount of heatthan the first semiconductor die 102 (i.e., the semiconductor die 102beneath and/or within the EMI shield 106). In these embodiments, the EMIshield 106 and/or the first dielectric material 105 can be employed suchthat the device 100 is configured to transfer a greater amount of heataway from the second semiconductor die 102 than away from the firstsemiconductor die 102. In other embodiments, the first semiconductor die102 can be a controller and/or can generate a greater amount of heatthan away from the second semiconductor die 102. In these embodiments,the EMI shield and the TIM 215 can be employed such that the device 200is configured to transfer a greater amount of heat away from the firstsemiconductor die 102 than away from the second semiconductor die 102.

FIGS. 3A-3C are cross-sectional views illustrating a semiconductordevice 300 at various stages of manufacturing in accordance with variousembodiments of the present technology. Generally, the semiconductordevice 300 can be manufactured, for example, as a discrete device or aspart of a larger wafer or panel. In wafer-level or panel-levelmanufacturing, several semiconductor devices are formed together beforebeing singulated to form a plurality of individual semiconductordevices. For ease of explanation and understanding, FIGS. 3A-3Cillustrate the fabrication of two semiconductor devices 300. However,one skilled in the art will readily understand that the fabrication ofthe semiconductor devices 300 can be scaled to the wafer and/or panellevel—that is, to include many more components so as to be capable ofbeing singulated into more than two semiconductor devices 300—whileincluding similar features and using similar processes as describedherein.

Fabrication of the semiconductor devices 300 can begin with formation ofa package substrate 301. FIG. 3A illustrates the semiconductor devices300 after a package substrate 301 is fully formed. As shown, one or moreground traces and/or planes 303 extend within and/or through the packagesubstrate 301. The ground trace(s) and/or plane(s) 303 can be a largearea of conductive material (e.g., copper) and can be coupled to a powersupply ground terminal VSS. In certain embodiments, the ground trace(s)and/or plane(s) 303 can be a separate layer of the package substrate301. In other embodiments, the ground trace(s) and/or plane(s) 303 canspan multiple layers of the package substrate 301. The ground trace(s)and/or plane(s) 303 serve as a return path for current from variouscomponents in the devices 300 and ensure that the ground connection ofall components of the devices 300 are at the same reference potential.

The package substrate 301 can further include a plurality of contacts(not shown) and/or conductive lines (not shown), such as conductive viasand/or traces extending within, through, and/or on the package substrate301 to electrically couple components of the device 300 to one anotherand/or to components, devices, and/or systems external to the devices300. In some embodiments, the package substrate 301 is etched to exposeone or more conductive lines extending within and/or through the packagesubstrate 301 via a first surface 301 a and/or a second surface 301 b ofthe package substrate 301. In these and other embodiments, the etchingprocedure can expose the ground plane 303 via the first surface 301 a.In these and still other embodiments, holes formed in the packagesubstrate 301 via the etching process can be filled with a conductivematerial to form contacts, vias, and/or traces in the package substrate301. The contacts and/or conductive lines can be made from copper,nickel, solder (e.g., SnAg-based solder), conductor-filled epoxy, and/orother electrically conductive materials.

Fabrication of the semiconductor devices 300 continues with coupling aplurality of semiconductor dies 302 to die-attach areas on the firstsurface 301 a of the package substrate 301. The semiconductor dies 302can include various types of semiconductor components and functionalfeatures, such as dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), staticrandom-access memory (SRAM), flash memory, or other forms of integratedcircuit memory, processing circuitry, imaging components, and/or othersemiconductor features. In some embodiments, the semiconductor dies 302are coupled to the package substrate 301 using one or more solder balls304 or other contacts. In other embodiments, the semiconductor dies 302can be coupled to the package substrate 301 using wire bonds or one ormore other electrical connectors, such as conductive bumps, pillars,lead frames, etc.

In some embodiments, one or more additional semiconductor dies (notshown) can be stacked on the semiconductor dies 302 to form die stacks,and additional electrical connectors, such as wire bonds and/or throughsilicon vias (not shown), can be formed to electrically couple theadditional semiconductor dies to the package substrate 301. For example,the semiconductor dies 302 and the additional semiconductor dies can bestacked front-to-back, front-to-front, back-to-back, and/orback-to-front. Accordingly, a plurality of die stacks can be separatedfrom each other along the package substrate 301. In some embodiments, adie stack can include a different number of semiconductor dies thananother die stack. In these and other embodiments, the additionalsemiconductor dies can be stacked on the semiconductor dies 302 suchthat the semiconductor dies 302 are not directly below the additionalsemiconductor dies, and/or the additional semiconductor dies can havedifferent dimensions or orientations from the semiconductor dies 302.For example, the additional semiconductor dies can be mounted such thatthey have a portion that overhangs the semiconductor dies 302, or thesemiconductor dies 302 can be larger than the additional semiconductordies such that the additional semiconductor dies are positioned entirelywithin a footprint of the semiconductor dies 302. In other embodiments,the additional semiconductor dies can be positioned adjacent thesemiconductor dies 302 in a side-by-side arrangement.

As shown in FIG. 3A, fabrication of the semiconductor devices 300continues with forming a first dielectric material 305 on the firstsurface 301 a of the package substrate 301. The first dielectricmaterial 305 can be an underfill material under the semiconductor die302. The first dielectric material 305 can also be around at least aportion of the semiconductor dies 302. In some embodiments, the firstdielectric material 305 can completely cover and/or encapsulate thesemiconductor dies 302 (e.g., to electrically isolate the semiconductordies 302 and/or to protect them from contaminants and physical damage).Alternatively, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, the firstdielectric material 305 surrounds only a bottom portion of thesemiconductor dies 302 (e.g., to electrically isolate and/or protectelectrical connections between the semiconductor dies 302 and thepackage substrate 301) while leaving at least a portion of the upperportion of the semiconductor dies 302 exposed. The first dielectricmaterial 305 can provide structural strength to the device 300.

In some embodiments, fabrication of the semiconductor devices 300continues with forming a thermal interface material 315 (“TIM 315”) overthe semiconductor dies 302. The TIM 315 can be formed directly over thesemiconductor dies 302. In these and other embodiments, the TIM 315 cancover at least a portion of the upper portion of the semiconductor dies302 exposed through the first dielectric material 305. For example, theTIM 315 can completely cover a top portion of the semiconductor dies 302and/or at least a portion of the sides of the semiconductor dies 302.The TIM 315 is formed of materials that facilitate heat dissipation awayfrom the semiconductor dies 302.

Fabrication of the semiconductor devices 300 can continue with formingelectrical connectors 310 and/or 311 or contacts (not shown) exposed viaor formed through the second surface 301 b of the package substrate 301.In this regard, a solder mask (not shown) can be applied to the secondsurface 301 b of the package substrate 301 and etched to form aplurality of openings (not shown) through the solder mask and/or throughthe second surface 301 b of the package substrate 301. For example, theetching can expose contacts through the second surface 301 b of thepackage substrate 301 by removing a portion of the package substrate301. As another example, the contacts can be exposed by removal of theportion of the package substrate 301 before applying and/or etching thesolder mask (e.g., during removal of a carrier substrate (not shown)).Solder and/or conductive epoxy can be filled into the plurality ofopenings to form solder balls 310 and/or 311 and/or one or more otherelectrical connectors. For example, a stenciling machine can depositdiscrete blocks of solder paste onto the exposed contacts of the packagesubstrate 301.

All or a portion of the solder mask can be removed, and solder and/orconductive epoxy deposited onto the exposed contacts through theplurality of openings in the second surface 301 b of the packagesubstrate 301 can be used to form the electrical connectors. Forexample, solder can be reflowed to form a plurality solder balls orsolder bumps 310 and/or 311 to form a ball grid array. Alternatively,the deposited solder and/or conductive epoxy can be used to formconductive pillars, conductive lands, and/or other suitable electricallyconductive elements (e.g., to form a land grid array). As discussedabove, the electrical connectors (e.g., the solder balls 310 and/or 311)are configured to electrically couple the devices 300 to externalcircuitry (not shown). In other embodiments, the electrical connectorscan be omitted, and contacts (not shown) of the package substrate 301can be directly connected to external devices or circuitry.

Fabrication can continue by singulating the semiconductor devices 300.In this regard, the package substrate 301 can be cut at a plurality ofdicing lanes 380, This procedure separates the semiconductor devices 300from one another.

Referring now to FIG. 3B, which shows processing a single device but canbe done at a panel level as in FIG. 3A, fabrication continues byapplying an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield 306 over asemiconductor die 302 of a singulated semiconductor device 300 to shieldthe semiconductor die 302 from electromagnetic interference. In someembodiments, the EMI shield 306 can be formed over the TIM 315, thefirst dielectric material 305, and/or the semiconductor die(s) 302. Forexample, the EMI shield 306 can be applied and formed over the firstsurface 301 a of the package substrate 301 using chemical vapordeposition, physical vapor deposition, sputtering, lamination, and/orone or more other procedures (e.g., plating, vacuum printing, vacuumdeposition, insert molding, spray coating, etc.). Alternatively, the EMIshield 306 can be preformed and subsequently attached to the packagesubstrate 301. When the EMI shield 306 is formed over or attached to thepackage substrate 301, an electrical connection between the EMI shield306 and the ground plane 303 is formed through the first surface 301 aof the package substrate 301. Alternatively, the EMI shield 306 can becoupled to the ground plane 303 through the second surface 301 b and/ora side surface of the package substrate 301. A conductive lid attachadhesive 307 can be used to facilitate the electrical connection of theEMI shield 306 to the ground plane 303.

A second dielectric material 308 can be formed over at least a portionof the EMI shield 306. In some embodiments, the second dielectricmaterial 308 is formed over the EMI shield 306 after the EMI shield 306is formed over and/or attached to the package substrate 301. In otherembodiments, the second dielectric material 308 is formed over at leasta portion of the EMI shield 306 prior to the EMI shield 306 beingattached to the package substrate 301. The second dielectric material308 can be formed over the EMI shield 306 using chemical vapordeposition, physical vapor deposition, sputtering, lamination, and/orone or more other procedures (e.g., plating, vacuum printing, vacuumdeposition, insert molding, spray coating, etc.).

Referring now to FIG. 3C, fabrication of the device 300 continues byforming or attaching an antenna structure 309 configured for wirelesscommunication. In some embodiments, the antenna structure 309 is formedover and/or adjacent at least a portion of the second dielectricmaterial 308 and/or at least a portion of the EMI shield 306 after theEMI shield 306 and the second dielectric material 308 are formed overand/or attached to the package substrate 301. In other embodiments, theantenna structure 309 is formed over and/or adjacent the seconddielectric material 308 and/or the EMI shield 306 prior to the EMIshield 306 and the second dielectric material 308 being attached to thepackage substrate 301. The antenna structure 309 can be formed usingchemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, sputtering,lamination, and/or one or more other procedures (e.g., plating, vacuumprinting, vacuum deposition, insert molding, spray coating, etc.).

When the antenna structure 309 is formed over or attached to the packagesubstrate 301, an electrical connection between the antenna structure309 and an isolated electrical connector 310 (e.g., a solder ball) isformed. In some embodiments, the electrical connection is formed throughthe first surface 301 a of the package substrate 301. In these and otherembodiments, the electrical connection is formed through the secondsurface 301 b and/or a side surface of the package substrate 301. Aconductive adhesive (not shown) can be used to facilitate the electricalconnection. Additionally, or alternatively, a contact (e.g., a TSV, wirebond, etc.) or conductive line in the package substrate 301 can be usedto facilitate the electrical connection. The contact or conductive linecan be exposed through the first surface 301 a of the package substrate301 and/or formed within the package substrate 301 during an etchingprocedure performed prior to forming or attaching the antenna structure309.

In some embodiments, a package molding or an epoxy molding compound(EMC) 312 can be applied over at least a portion of the antennastructure 309, the second dielectric material 308, the EMI shield 306,and/or the package substrate 301. The package molding 312 can providestructural strength to the device 300. For example, the package molding312 can be selected to prevent the device 300 from warping, bending,etc., as external forces are applied to the device 300. The packagemolding 312 may be formed from a resin, epoxy resin, silicone-basedmaterial, polyimide, and/or other suitable resin used or known in theart. Once deposited, the package molding 312 in some embodiments can becured by UV light, chemical hardeners, heat, or other suitable curingmethods known in the art.

Although the fabrication steps discussed above with respect to FIGS.3A-3C are discussed and illustrated in a particular order, thefabrication steps are not so limited. In other embodiments, thefabrication steps can be performed in a different order. In these andother embodiments, any of the fabrication steps can be performed before,during, and/or after any of the other fabrication steps. For example,any one or more of the etching procedures can be performed before,during, or after any of the other fabrication steps. As another example,although fabrication of the devices 300 illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3Cincludes singulating the devices 300 before forming/attaching the EMIshield 306, the second dielectric material 308, the antenna structure309, and/or the package molding 312, fabrication of the devices 300 inother embodiments can include dicing the devices 300 along the dicinglanes 380 before, during, and/or after forming/attaching the EMI shield306, the second dielectric material 308, the antenna structure 309,and/or the package molding 312. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skillin the art will readily recognize that the fabrication steps can bealtered and still remain within these and other embodiments of thepresent technology. For example, one or more of the fabrication stepscan be omitted and/or repeated in some embodiments. In these and otherembodiments, fabrication of the semiconductor devices 300 can includeadditional fabrication steps. For example, fabrication can include oneor more finishing and/or polishing steps (e.g., to remove burrs and/orexcess or unwanted material).

Any one of the semiconductor devices described above with reference toFIGS. 1-3C can be incorporated into any of a myriad of larger and/ormore complex systems, a representative example of which is system 490shown schematically in FIG. 4. The system 490 can include asemiconductor die assembly 400, a power source 492, a driver 494, aprocessor 496, and/or other subsystems or components 498. Thesemiconductor die assembly 400 can include semiconductor devices withfeatures generally similar to those of the semiconductor devicesdescribed above. The resulting system 490 can perform any of a widevariety of functions, such as memory storage, data processing, and/orother suitable functions. Accordingly, representative systems 490 caninclude, without limitation, hand-held devices (e.g., mobile phones,tablets, digital readers, and digital audio players), computers,appliances, and vehicles. Components of the system 490 may be housed ina single unit or distributed over multiple, interconnected units (e.g.,through a communications network). The components of the system 490 canalso include remote devices and any of a wide variety ofcomputer-readable media.

Conclusion

The above detailed descriptions of embodiments of the technology are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the technology to the precise formdisclosed above. Although specific embodiments of, and examples for, thetechnology are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of thetechnology, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Forexample, while steps are presented in a given order, alternativeembodiments can perform steps in a different order. Furthermore, thevarious embodiments described herein can also be combined to providefurther embodiments.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but well-known structures and functions have not been shown or describedin detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of theembodiments of the technology. Where the context permits, singular orplural terms can also include the plural or singular term, respectively.Moreover, unless the word “or” is expressly limited to mean only asingle item exclusive from the other items in reference to a list of twoor more items, then the use of “or” in such a list is to be interpretedas including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items inthe list, or (c) any combination of the items in the list. Furthermore,as used herein, the phrase “and/or” as in “A and/or B” refers to Aalone, B alone, and both A and B. Additionally, the terms “comprising,”“including,” “having” and “with” are used throughout to mean includingat least the recited feature(s) such that any greater number of the samefeature and/or additional types of other features are not precluded.

From the foregoing, it will also be appreciated that variousmodifications can be made without deviating from the technology. Forexample, various components of the technology can be further dividedinto subcomponents, or various components and functions of thetechnology can be combined and/or integrated. Furthermore, althoughadvantages associated with certain embodiments of the technology havebeen described in the context of those embodiments, other embodimentscan also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments neednecessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of thetechnology. Accordingly, the disclosure and associated technology canencompass other embodiments not expressly shown or described herein.

We claim:
 1. A semiconductor device, comprising: a package substratehaving a ground plane embedded beneath a first surface of the packagesubstrate and accessible via the first surface of the package substrate;a semiconductor die coupled to the first surface of the packagesubstrate; an antenna structure configured for wireless communication;and an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield surrounding at least aportion of the semiconductor die and between the semiconductor die andthe antenna structure, wherein the EMI shield is electrically coupled tothe ground plane via the first surface, and wherein the EMI shield isconfigured to shield at least the semiconductor die from electromagneticinterference.
 2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprisinga first dielectric material between the semiconductor die and the EMIshield, wherein the first dielectric material is configured to separateand electrically isolate the EMI shield from the semiconductor die. 3.The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the EMI shield has athickness between 1 μm and 30 μm.
 4. The semiconductor device of claim1, further comprising a first underfill material between the packagesubstrate and the semiconductor die, wherein the first underfillmaterial is configured to electrically isolate electrical connectionsbetween the semiconductor die and contacts of the package substrateformed via the first surface of the package substrate.
 5. Thesemiconductor device of claim 4, further comprising a thermal interfacematerial (TIM) between the semiconductor die and the EMI shield, whereinthe TIM is configured to dissipate heat away from the semiconductor die.6. The semiconductor device of claim 5, wherein the EMI shield has athickness between 30 μm and 2 mm.
 7. The semiconductor device of claim5, wherein the TIM covers (i) an upper surface of the semiconductor dieopposite the first surface of the package substrate and (ii) at least aportion of side surfaces of the semiconductor die.
 8. The semiconductordevice of claim 1, further comprising a second dielectric materialbetween the EMI shield and the antenna structure, wherein the seconddielectric material is configured to separate and electrically isolatethe EMI shield from the antenna structure.
 9. The semiconductor deviceof claim 7, wherein the second dielectric material surrounds the EMIshield such that the second dielectric material wraps around a side ofthe EMI shield opposite the semiconductor die thereby contacting abottom surface of the EMI shield.
 10. The semiconductor device of claim1, wherein the EMI shield includes iron, nickel-iron, cobalt-iron,stainless steel, and/or copper.
 11. The semiconductor device of claim 1,wherein the EMI shield is die-attached to the first surface of thepackage substrate.
 12. The semiconductor device of claim 1, furthercomprising an electrical connector formed on a second surface of thepackage substrate opposite the first surface, wherein the antennastructure is electrically coupled to the electrical connector via thepackage substrate.
 13. The semiconductor device of claim 11, wherein theelectrical connector is electrically isolated from the semiconductordie.
 14. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductordie is a memory die.
 15. The semiconductor device of claim 1, furthercomprising a package molding over the antenna structure, the EMI shield,and the first surface of the package substrate.
 16. The semiconductordevice of claim 1, wherein the ground plane is a separate layer of thepackage substrate.
 17. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein theground plane spans multiple layers of the package substrate.
 18. Asemiconductor device, comprising: a substrate including a ground planeembedded within and spaced apart from a first surface of the substrate,the ground plane accessible via the first surface of the substrate at afirst location and accessible via the first surface at a second locationdifferent from the first location; a semiconductor die positioned overthe first surface of the substrate and between the first location andthe second location; a first dielectric material positioned at least inpart between the semiconductor die and the first surface of thesubstrate; an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield surrounding thesemiconductor die and the first dielectric material, wherein the EMIshield is electrically coupled to the ground plane (a) via the firstsurface of the substrate at the first location and (b) via the firstsurface of the substrate at the second location; a second dielectricmaterial surrounding the EMI shield; an electrical connector positionedon a second surface of the substrate opposite the first surface; and anantenna structure positioned at least in part over the second dielectricmaterial and electrically coupled to the electrical connector throughthe first surface of the substrate and through the second surface of thesubstrate.
 19. The semiconductor device of claim 18, further comprisinga thermal interface material (TIM) (i) positioned between thesemiconductor die and the EMI shield and (ii) directly contacting theEMI shield and the semiconductor die.
 20. A semiconductor device,comprising: a package substrate including a ground plane, the groundplane having a first portion embedded beneath a first surface of thepackage substrate and a second portion exposed though the first surfaceof the package substrate and electrically coupled to the first portion;a semiconductor die coupled to the first surface of the packagesubstrate; an antenna structure; and an electromagnetic interference(EMI) shield at least partially positioned between the semiconductor dieand the antenna structure, wherein the EMI shield is electricallycoupled to the first portion of the ground plane via the second portionof the ground plane exposed through the first surface of the packagesubstrate.